There are generally four different categories of employees that you can hire for your company— excluding contractors, who typically have higher rates. The four are temporary employees, seasonal employees, part-time employees, and full-time employees.

You may not need to hire each type for your company, but it’s still good to know when you would need to hire each type of employee. Here’s a look at the four types and when and how to go about hiring each.

#1: Temporary

As the name suggests, temporary employees will only work for you for a short period, such as a few weeks, a few months, or even up to a year.

Employers tend to hire temporary help when one or more of their regular employees takes a leave of absence, whether it’s maternity/paternity leave or associated with something else.

“Temps”, as they are referred to, are usually hired through a staffing agency to help fill gaps in your employment. They can either be full-time or part-time, depending on the nature of the work they’re being hired for.

You can also hire your temp as a regular employee once their temp work is complete through something called temp-to-hire. This is also a good way to “try out” potential employees before hiring them full or part-time.

#2: Seasonal

Seasonal employees are a type of temporary employees that you’d hire during a certain time of the year. This usually applies to holidays, but there may be other times throughout the year when you’d need seasonal employees.

A seasonal employee or two is great when you have an increased demand in your workload, which can happen regularly at certain times of the year, or whenever you see an increase in business.

Unlike temporary employees, seasonal employees are not usually hired through an agency. Business owners will typically take to job search sites to find qualified employees that they can hire just for their busy season.

Seasonal employees are also usually part-time, but they’re entitled to overtime and workers’ compensation. Like temps, seasonal employees can be hired full-time if you’re satisfied with the work they performed as a seasonal employee.

#3: Part-Time

Part-time employees usually work less than 35 hours per week but can work up to 38/39 hours per week. They’re also usually paid by the hour, meaning that they have to clock in and out through a system that keeps track of their hours.

Part-time employees aren’t entitled to any benefits, such as paid time off or health insurance, so you’ll save more money by hiring part-time employees.

However, part-time employees may not possess all of the necessary job skills needed to perform certain tasks. This is why part-time work is often seen as similar to seasonal or temporary work— part-time workers are great for filling in gaps in employment.

This position is also a great way for business owners to test out a new job position or even a new hire before turning this into a permanent or full-time position.

#4: Full-Time

Full-time employees are usually the most valuable type of employee working for a company. They work at least 40 hours per week and are entitled to several benefits.

They are more expensive to train and manage, but full-time employees typically come with more work, education, and/or life experience. Full-time workers are also more likely to be more loyal and stay with your company for a longer period than part-time employees.

When hiring full-time workers, you don’t want to just look at job search sites. Unlike seasonal and potentially part-time employees, they’re looking for a job that’s a good fit because they plan on working for a while.

This is where recruitment marketing strategies come in. You’re also looking for a good fit for your company, and trying these strategies can help you find the best talent for your full-time positions.

In review, temporary employees (including seasonal) are hired to work for you for a short period, but they can turn into full-time employees in the future.

Temporary employees are usually hired through an agency to replace workers on leave, whereas seasonal employees are extra help hired during your busiest times of the year.

It’s best to search for seasonal employees by posting job openings on job search sites, and this is also a pretty good method when searching for part-time employees.

When it comes to full-time employees, you’ll want to take your time and use recruitment marketing strategies to find the perfect fit for your company.